Funeral Order of Service Printing: Sizes, Stock, Quantities and Timing

An order of service is the printed booklet guests hold during a funeral or memorial. It gives the order of the service, the words of hymns and readings, and often a favourite photo. Many families keep it afterwards. This guide covers the usual sizes and folds, paper, how many to print, what goes inside, photos and timing. It is written for families, celebrants, funeral directors and church offices.

The most common format is an A4 sheet folded in half to A5. 100 of these cost $157 on 100gsm uncoated paper or $168 on 150gsm gloss, printed both sides and folded. Delivery is free and there is no GST to add, so that is the total you pay.

Price your order of service

Sizes and folds

A5, folded from A4. This is the standard. A flat A4 sheet (297 x 210mm) is folded once to A5 (148 x 210mm). It gives four pages: a front cover, two inside pages and a back cover. It fits in a hand, a pocket or a handbag, and there is room for a large photo on the front. Choose A4 folded in half in the brochure configurator.

DL, folded from A4. An A4 sheet folded twice gives a slim DL brochure (99 x 210mm) with six panels. It suits a short service with few words, and it fits a standard DL envelope if you are posting copies to people who could not attend. Choose A4 tri-fold to DL.

A single flat card. For a very short service, a flat A5 card printed on both sides works well. It is ordered as an A5 flyer.

A booklet, for a longer service. If you have several hymns with full words, an A5 booklet with 8 or 12 stapled pages keeps everything readable. 100 eight-page A5 booklets cost $257 on 128gsm silk matt or $278 on 150gsm gloss.

Our brochure fold types guide shows how each fold opens and which panel is the cover.

Choosing the paper

• 100gsm uncoated. A natural, soft paper with no shine. It is easy to read under church lights and easy to write on. It is the lowest-cost choice.
• 150gsm gloss. Our standard brochure paper. Photos look bright and sharp. It is a little firmer in the hand.
• 170gsm matt. No glare and a quieter look. Photos still print well. 100 cost $176.
• 250gsm gloss. A thin card. It feels more like a keepsake and stands up on a mantelpiece. 100 cost $181.

If people will write on it, choose an uncoated or matt paper. Gloss can smudge under a pen.

How many to print

Start with the number of people you expect. Then add about 10 to 20 percent. Some guests take an extra copy for a relative who could not come, and the family usually wants a few to keep. If the number is uncertain, round up to the next quantity. The extra copies cost little compared with running short.

A4 folded to A5 on 150gsm gloss, printed both sides and folded:

These are live order totals from our price engine, delivered free, with no GST to add. Brochures start at 50 per design. For the same quantities on other papers, or the DL fold, see the brochure price list.

What goes inside

Most orders of service follow a similar order. Change it to suit the service, the faith tradition and the family.

1. Front cover. The person's full name, the dates of birth and death, and a photo. Many families add a short line, such as "A celebration of the life of".
2. Service details. The date, time and place of the service, and the name of the celebrant, minister or officiant.
3. Order of the service. The welcome, prayers, readings, eulogy, music and committal, in the order they happen.
4. Words. Hymns, songs, poems and readings, set at a size people can read easily.
5. Thanks. A short thank you from the family, and details of the wake or refreshments.
6. Back cover. A second photo, a favourite saying, or details for donations to a chosen charity.

If you print hymn or song words, check that your church or funeral director's copyright licence covers printed copies. Ask someone outside the family to read the proof slowly. Names, dates and spellings are the details that matter most.

Photo tips

• Use the original file. A photo sent through a messaging app is often made much smaller. Ask for the original from the phone or camera.
• Aim for 300 dpi at the printed size. For a photo filling the A5 front cover, that is about 1750 x 2480 pixels. A photo of about half that size will still print well at a smaller size inside.
• Scanning a print. Scan old photos at 600 dpi, then crop. Do not photograph a photo under a lamp, as glare and shadows show in print.
• Colour or black and white. Both print well. If photos come from different decades, black and white can make them sit together more easily.
• Leave a margin. Keep faces and text at least 5mm inside the edge, and extend background photos 3mm past the edge for bleed. Our print artwork checklist covers bleed and file settings.

Every order gets a free artwork check and an instant on-screen proof. Nothing is printed until you approve it. If a photo is too small to print well, the check will flag it.

Turnaround and rush options

Folded brochures are dispatched 4 to 6 business days after you approve your proof. Most A4 brochures folded to A5 or DL are 4 business days. Delivery is then usually 1 to 4 business days on the east coast and up to 8 business days to remote areas. See the delivery page for each state. Orders and approved artwork that reach us before 11am Brisbane time on a business day start that day.

We do not offer Express on folded brochures or booklets. If time is short, a flat A5 card is the faster option. Flyers can be ordered with Express where an Express price shows in the configurator, and Express orders are dispatched the next business day after you approve the proof. 100 A5 flyers printed both sides on 150gsm gloss cost $105 on standard production.

For any other urgent job, send the date of the service through our quote form before you order. We will tell you honestly what is possible.

Planning checklist

• Confirm the date, time and place before you finalise the artwork.
• Collect the original photo files early.
• Ask the celebrant or minister for the running order and the words of readings.
• Have a second person check every name and date on the proof.
• Approve the proof as soon as you are happy, as the dispatch clock starts then.

Churches and funeral directors

Church offices and funeral directors often prepare orders of service for families. A saved design makes the next one quicker. Our printing for churches and faith communities page covers service sheets, prayer cards and signs, and the church brochure page shows live prices for weekly runs.

FAQs

What size is a funeral order of service?

Most are A5 (148 x 210mm), made from an A4 sheet folded in half. A DL fold (99 x 210mm) suits a shorter service, and an A5 booklet suits a long one.

How much does it cost to print 100 orders of service?

100 A4 sheets folded to A5, printed both sides on 150gsm gloss, cost $168 delivered, with no GST to add. On 100gsm uncoated paper they cost $157.

How many orders of service should I print?

The number of guests you expect, plus 10 to 20 percent for extra copies and keepsakes.

How quickly can orders of service be printed?

Folded brochures are dispatched 4 to 6 business days after you approve the proof, then delivered. A flat A5 card can be ordered with Express where an Express price shows, and it is dispatched the next business day after approval.

What resolution should the photo be?

Around 300 dpi at the printed size. For a full A5 cover, that is about 1750 x 2480 pixels. Use the original file, not one sent through a messaging app.